Not a bad follow up to the The Dictionary of People, although unfortunately I didn't find this as pleasing to read.
I loved the themes and the links with Suffragettes, Great War and flu outbreak but it just couldn't get me gripped.

Historical drama set in the time of World War One and featuring the work of the book binder Two sisters with a close bond,both interesting characters. A good read.

Most of the young men of Britain are away to fight the war and women are keeping the nation running. Peggy and Maude, twin sisters who live on a narrow boat in Oxford and work in the bindery at the university press.
Peggy loves the words and the paper they're printed on and often takes the rejected parts of books back to their boat to read an absorb
It's a book about love, culture, ptsd, working class life, studying, women's rights and privilege
Such a beautifully written story; not one word was wasted

"if these were the scars left on the skin, what must it leave on the soul?"

an easy enjoyable read, gorgeously rendered historical fiction. added bonus for readers who are interested in the process of bookbinding, printing and publishing!

Fabulous. Just as good as the Dictionary of Lost Words. A great read for lovers of books. The description of women's lives and their relationships really brings the story to life.

I fell in love with Pip Williams' debut novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words. This didn't grab me in quite the same way, but it was still a beautifully written novel with a focus on language, learning and books. It's set around the same time as the debut novel, and many of the proof's of the dictionary find their way to Peggy's desk as she folds the manuscripts for binding. Set in the run up to and then in the midst of World War I, Williams brings the period of time to life vividly, with all it's uncertainty and fear along with the grief and loss as so many young men did not make it home.

Peggy and her sister Maude make for an interesting duet, with Peggy carrying the family after her mother's death and feeling tied to her sister who has significant learning difficulties. I really liked the way Williams draws on Maude's character, and she's careful to utilise certain of Maude's quirks in ways that both propel and enhance the story. Maude isn't by any stretch of the imagination a lesser character. I also liked how there was some crossover between the two novels, with some of the characters from The Dictionary of Lost Words as minor characters.

This is a well written and fascinating novel that focuses on the home front of World War I and the women who kept things running. It depicts the period of change well and how views towards refugees changed as the war picked up pace, but also brings to life the realities and uncertainties of those at home, with Peggy making time to read to injured soldiers who are recuperating alongside her work at the book bindery. It also brings to life Oxford, and the conflict between town and gown along with the strict social hierarchies of the time.

All in all, another very well done novel from Pip Williams and I'll follow her writing with interest.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

This was a lovely historical fiction. I found the first chapter hard to get into but afterwards I ran through this lovely lyrical read.

It's the first time I've read anything by Pip Williams and I'm glad I did! What an interesting point in history. I've not read much about World War One and this was the ideal introductory read for me.

Send in the backdrop of WW1, I was completely absorbed by this book and its characters. Pip’s books always come across as very well researched which was shown through the microscopic details of the bookbinding processes. The glimpses of books, poems and words in general made my thirst for reading even greater. The war was always there in the background in all its horror, but showed how people got on with their lives in spite of it. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.

I really enjoyed reading this book, but after starting the audiobook, I have decided to review that fully on my blog.

This was an interesting read on book binders at the turn of the centaury. I didn't know anything about the industry prior to reading the story, but I certainly learned quite a bit. The houseboat had a romantic feel to it. I liked that this book gave a voice to the women who were also fighting at the time of WW1.

This book is a show stopper - one I would give to my friends. I would buy multiple copies of this book for people! Loved the authors previous work. Overall really clever, well written and one I will be recommending. I am now going to purchase the rest of the authors books that I haven’t read yet. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early copy.

The real charm of this book is the way that it tells an aspect of life during WW1 but from an unusual viewpoint. This is a sister book of 'The Dictionary of Lost Words', so if you've enjoyed one, then look up the other.

I think I went in with my expectations too high, sadly. While I usually don't mind a slow burn, this meandered a bit much for me. I'm not quite sure why I struggled with it so much - all of the ingredients (feminism, WW1, books...) are right up my alley! I will have to try it again when I am in a different frame of mind.

An interesting take on a historical novel. Whilst men are sent to the Western Front, the women are left behind. And at the Oxford University Press two women, Peggy and Maude, sisters are simply there to bind the books, not read the words. But for one of these women collecting words and the parts of books is part of her education. Peggy wants to learn. She wants to be more than just a bookbinder, but she cannot leave her sister.

As more men are conscripted, and there is a sudden influx of Belgian refugees, the war it seems comes more closely to the sisters.

If you want a quiet book to fill your soul, then this is it. Class, society, Women’s suffrage, differences and the beauty of what words can do to a person is encapsulated in this novel. I was intrigued to learn another part of history that I did not know or perhaps took for granted.

This wasn't as good as Pip's first novel 'The Dictionary of Lost Words', but it is still worth a read.
It took a while to get into and I didn't really understand what was going on until about 1/3 of the way through the book. What kept me reading you might ask? The characters!
Pip has the ability to create characters that literally appear in the room with you. You root for them, you want them to learn lessons etc.
I particularly liked that not everything was tied up with a bow at the end. It didn't need to be and made the book feel more real.

I would have liked to know more about Maude and why she was that way. I understand that it didn't need explaining, it didn't take anything away from the story, but for me, the most interesting relationship in the book was between her and her sister.

If you enjoyed the dictionary of lost words, then you'll enjoy this! It's a sort of companion piece, except instead of learning about the academics who wrote the dictionary, this story focuses on the women doing the drudge work of printing- folding, cutting and sewing. The protagonist lives on the Oxford Canal, and I loved the description of her life there with her sister. The characters are satisfyingly complex, and you see how society changes, especially as the men of the press go off to war, and refugees come to Oxford to take their place. Recommended to anyone with an interest in books, women's history or the city of Oxford! I read it months ago and I still think about things I learned from it regularly.

Wonderfully drawn characters and a very different experience of WW1. I was drawn in immediately because of my love of books but I kept reading because of the fascinating insight into life in Oxford at that time especially for women.

I loved this book! Truly enthralling! It painted a breath-taking image of another world. It showed the challenges of war time during the First World War, in addition to the attitudes towards women and the lower classes. I found myself spellbound and gripped by the novel, wanting to know what was going to happen to them. A beautiful read that I highly recommend.

So many interesting.themes.
Peggy and Maude are motherless twins who work together in a publishers.
They live together on a barge, Peggy keeps an eye on Maude as she has strange ways and needs looking after. The girls mother Helen was a great reader and furnished the barge with rejected copies of books, Peggy continues with this and is an avid reader..
Peggy volunteers during WWI, to read and write letters for injured soldiers, she meets a student Gwen from Somerville University who encourages her to apply there. The difference between the working class and the students is summed up with the phrase towns and gowns, but Peggy still has dreams of attending university, she also gets involved with the suffrage movement.
The horrors of war are bought home to her by her friend Tilda's work in hospitals abroad and by meeting a Belgium soldier Bastiaan who she nurses, he is disfigured by his wounds but they have a love affair.
Peggy eventually applied to university overcoming her guilt about letting others help care for Maude.
This book has many interesting, thought provoking characters.
Thank you Pip and NetGalley.